The Importance of Being Earnest
Written by Oscar Wilde
Directed by J.R. Sullivan
Pearl Theatre
80 St. Marks Place
212-598-9802
Review by Christopher Zara
Comedy doesn’t always age well. Revisit, for argument’s sake, the “Austin
Powers” trilogy, or pretty much anything starring Rob Schneider, to witness how
quickly those scenarios that seemed so funny a few years ago can lose their
charm. It’s that much more refreshing, consequently, to watch The Importance
of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde’s 113-year-old sitcom of manners, and marvel
at how it can appear so wrinkle-free, especially under the spirited execution of
the Pearl Theatre Company.
Algernon Moncrieff, a London bachelor and unapologetic super-fop, so loathes the
social obligations of Victorian high society that, in order to avoid them, he
has conjured up an imaginary invalid friend — one who lives out in the sticks
and, conveniently, requires care whenever Algernon wants to skip out on a
particular invite. Algernon’s similarly feckless friend, Jack Worthing, actually
does live out in the sticks. However, because he likes to make
no-questions-asked trips into the city, Jack often pretends he’s visiting his
ne’er-do-well brother, Ernest, who, like Algernon’s invalid friend, doesn’t
actually exist. When Algernon discovers that Jack is the legal guardian of an
18-year-old ward named Cecily, he shows up unannounced at Jack’s country home,
hoping to seduce the young naïf by passing himself off as Jack’s non-existent
brother. Jack and Algernon’s respective charades begin to dissolve when
Gwendolen — Jack’s fiancée and Algernon’s cousin — also arrives at the house,
unintentionally threatening to expose the double lives of both men.
Armed with the sublime wit of its author, Earnest needs little doctoring
to keep us entertained. Director J.R. Sullivan clearly understands this and
wisely opts for a lean, fast-paced evening, one that leaves us wanting just a
little bit more. This is not to call the show unsatisfying, mind you. A ticket
on Mr. Sullivan’s Wilde Ride comes equipped with pitch-perfect performances by a
cast of gifted comic actors, all of whom work brilliantly together. Indeed, many
of the performers are regulars at the Pearl, and their comfort with each other
is evident throughout. Sean McNall and Bradford Cover, as Algernon and Jack,
exchange Wilde’s rapid-fire one-liners and love-hate jabs with brotherly aplomb.
(Picture a 19th-century Niles and Frasier Crane, with both characters equally
oblivious of their own pompous leanings.) Ali Ahn’s Cecily is a sweet confection
of plucky naiveté, and Rachel Botchan, as the more experienced Gwendolen, wins
our affections for her sometimes-shallow character.
Wilde fans are sure to be smitten by the Pearl Theatre’s take on this comic
mainstay and all its youthful exuberance. I only wish we all could age as well
as The Importance of Being Earnest. Despite the havoc this would wreak on
the Botox industry, the world would be a much better-looking place in the end.
(c)
2008 Show Business Weekly
